I went to www.purebred chihuahua puppies.com 50% discount. I was interested in a puppy we saw and sent a message via the site. I was contacted by a Hector Taylor, <[email protected]. He advised me the puppy would cost $200.00 plus $115 shipping. I was advised to go to Walmart and send a money gram to Hector Taylor, 4610 Dr. Bears Legacy Circle, Houston, Texas 77082. I did so and then received a email from Trans Freight Cargo International advising me they had the puppy ready for shipping, but I would have to buy dog insurance "(it is the law)" at a cost of $1400.00, to be refunded when I pick up the puppy. Again I was to go to Walmart and send a money gram to Dave Edison, Houston Texas, 77082. I called the Trans Cargo International @1-301-859-4915 for verification and question the transaction, I was hung up on 3 times. I finally spoke to a Hispanic male who recited the email word for word a insisted it was the law. I called BWI airport who advised me they only accept pets on commercial airlines and that this was a scam, that they have had several incidents such as this. I know I am out the $315.00 and learned a lesson. I hope that the AKC will look into this and take appropriate action. This Web site should be closed down and blocked. I also want to make people aware of this scam. If you are buying a pet from a website, pay for it with a postal money order and have the seller sign for it, because if they are scammers, it will be a Federal offense and you get your money back.

Health Testing Misconceptions

HEALTH TESTING AND CHIC NUMBERS- JUST THE FACTS

Basic information about health testing and CHIC numbers:

What is CHIC?

CHIC stands for Canine Health Information Center. It is a centralized canine health database that collects health information on individual animals from multiple sources- namely OFA and CERF.
Parent clubs decide on what testing should be required for their breed to receive a CHIC number.
What health testing is recommended for Chihuahuas?





OFA Cardiac, OFA Patella and CERF eye testing are recommended for Chihuahuas1.
What is the difference between OFA/ CERF and CHIC?




OFA is a database which specializes in orthopedic issues and other genetic diseases. CERF specializes in eye disorders only.
CHIC is a database that collects information from both OFA and CERF into one place and organizes that information based on breed. Health testing results are also conveniently displayed for all relatives of dogs in the database that have been health tested.
Why should I health test my Chihuahua?







Any Chihuahua breeder would benefit from knowing about the health of the dogs in their breeding program. If dogs are not health tested they could be unknowingly contributing genetic health issues into the gene pool.
How do I get a CHIC number on my Chihuahua?
Your Chihuahua must have permanent identification in the form of microchip or tattoo to be eligible. Patella, cardiac and CERF eye testing must be performed and patella/ cardiac results registered with OFA and eye testing results registered with CERF. There is no need to apply for a CHIC number; it is generated automatically when the above health testing results are submitted to OFA and CERF and a certificate will be mailed to you. There is no fee for a CHIC number.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HEALTH TESTING AND CHIC NUMBERS




"My dog has a CHIC number so that means he is healthy and free of all heart, patella and eye defects"
FALSE. A CHIC number does not mean that patella, heart and/or eye test results were normal. It means that the examinations were performed and the results were registered and available to the public. Any interested parties can go to the CHIC database and see his health testing results- good or bad.




"People only send in their good results, so the CHIC database cannot possibly help breeders"
FALSE. As of January 2012 there were 233 Chihuahuas with CHIC numbers. Of those 233 Chihuahuas, 40 of them had abnormal test results listed, with 26 different kennel names represented 2. That means that 17% of the CHIC Chihuahuas in the database have abnormal test results. Abnormalities include multiple eye disorders as well as varying degrees of patella luxation and heart murmur.
"It is useless to send in results as long as I know that my dogs are healthy."
FALSE: If all Chihuahua breeders health tested their dogs and registered the results-both normal and abnormal, it could have a





tremendous positive impact on the overall health of the breed.
If enough breeders participated in the CHIC program, eventually breeders could research pedigrees of proposed breedings for health strengths & weaknesses based on health testing results. We are already making tremendous progress in this area and with continued effort by dedicated breeders we can really make a big difference in the health of the breed.
Registering results can also give researchers information on multiple generations of dogs and help the Chihuahua Club of America identify health concerns & educate the membership.





"I don't want to microchip my dogs so they can't get CHIC numbers."
FALSE. Tattoos are also an acceptable form of identification for a dog to receive a CHIC number3.
"Chihuahuas don't have eye problems"
FALSE. There are multiple Chihuahuas in the CHIC database with cataracts, vitreous degeneration-syseresis, Distichiasis and persistent pupillary membranes. Eye testing is much more common in Finland with many more Chihuahuas documented than we have in the US. The Finnish database also lists Chihuahuas with Retinal dystrophy, trichiasis and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) among other disorders 4,5.
"No one has proven that Chihuahuas have PRA"






FALSE. There are actually six documented cases in Finland listed in their public health database along with registration numbers, registered names, pedigrees and diagnosis of PRA made by certified veterinary ophthalmologists5. The pedigrees of these dogs contain world-famous bloodlines that have made their way to the US.
"Certifying patellas is too subjective to bother with"






FALSE: Although it is technically possible to have slight variation in grading by different vets, it is still very important to know whether or not a dog's patellas luxate. Even though one vet may consider it a grade 1 and another vet may call it a grade 2, the examination has still provided extremely valuable information- that the patella luxates. Bringing the clear and simple grading information provided by OFA will help to ensure that a dog's patellas are accurately graded, even by a non-specialist practioner vet 6.

we purchased a puppy from missori and unfortunately the puppy we purchased was not the puppy we received not good

I bought an English Bulldog puppy from this web sight and I called and a lady answererd the phone and I told her I wanted a English Bulldog for breeding purposes as well as a pet. She said she was going to Georgia and she would meet me in Seymour Indiana since it saved me a five hour drive.When I got out of my van she handed me a health guarantee to sign, unfortunately it was for her benefit not A HEALTH GUARANTEE. I signed it not knowing she was selling me a male dog with only one testie that my vet told me I couldn't use for breeding. I took the puppy to the vet the next day around 24 hours later when he told me about the one testie, when I called her in regards to what the vet said she would do nothing. She now has English Bulldogs advertised on puppyfind as having puppy murmurs. THIS IS A HEART MURMUR!!! Sounds like she has all kind of defected puppies!! OH BY THE WAY I DIDN't KNOW HER NAME UNTIL SHE SIGNED THE AKC PAPERS!!! HER NAME IS ASHLEE SWANSON BUT THE CREDIT CARD IN WHICH I PAID HER 800.00 SHOWED UP AS DR.BRIAN RYMAN I don't know what kind of deal this. I checked her out on better business bureau in Warsaw Indiana and beside Ashlee Swanson's name the is an ALERT!!! IF YOU WOULD LIKE DOCUMENTATION OF THIS PROCEDURE E-MAIL Me [email protected].

ese people are advertisising pom 's now and they are advertised under Brian R but I delt with Ashlee Swanson and she ripped me off on an English Bulldog for 1200.00.Don't believe a word she says!! if you don't want to get ripped off. Shae will made you sign a contract and it is to pertect her NOT YOU!!! DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT!!!

Because this person never identified himself but told us he would make a deposit later stating that he didn&amp;amp;#039;t feel comfortable with paypal tells us he he had possibly never used paypal as paypal invoices as either a goods or service.We have never had any other family tell us that they did not trust our paypal invoice. Secondly, for him to ask to meet at Walmart and that I could go in with his wife leaving the pup with him also alarmed me to the potential of a kidnapping of our pup. Since he had not been trustworthy with paypal, I was in no way going to put the pup in harm&amp;amp;#039;s way with someone who was not trustworthy and had not identified himself. I believe I am correct as he has still not identified himself in the original complaint above.
Sincerely,
Tracy Gilliam
Puppy Placement Counselor
www.APuppyrosa.com
901-335-1226

My name is Jessica and I am a Relationship Manager with Puppyfind.com. Since Puppyfind.com was mentioned in this complaint, I wanted to take a moment to respond on behalf of the Puppyfind.com website.

First, let me say that I am sorry to hear of your unfortunate experience while using the website. Bringing a new puppy into your home should be an exciting and fun time and I know that if something ends up being wrong with the puppy it can take an emotional toll on everyone involved. I do hope your puppy is thriving now despite its rough start.

While it is true that Puppyfind doesn&amp;#039;t pre-screen members as stated in our Terms Of Service, we do work on making the website as safe as possible for all users. Unfortunately, Puppyfind.com has no way of knowing if a puppymill is utilizing our website. We simply do not have the ability to perform inspections on those breeders who choose to advertise on our website. However, when we do discover that a breeder is a puppymill, we do remove them from the site. Please understand that it does take more than one person&amp;#039;s claim that a breeder is a puppymill. We look for copies of inspection reports, news reports and/or charges filed against the breeder to support the claim of &amp;quot;puppymill&amp;quot;. If someone feels a breeder is a puppymill, we encourage that individual to contact our Customer Support and provide information detailing the reasoning behind that claim.

We also offer individuals who have purchased a puppy from a breeder on our site the ability to submit reviews of their experience. We may ask for supporting documentation as we try to be fair to both sides. Puppyfind is not involved in the arrangements or transactions of puppy sales. We do not promote one breeder over another nor do we receive any compensation from a successful sale. We simply provide an avenue for the initial point of contact.

As the previous poster mentioned, it is important for users to perform their due diligence when purchasing a puppy. We do try to help the buyer by offering a Buyer Tips page on the Puppyfind.com website. This page can be accessed by visiting the Puppyfind.com website and clicking the Buyers Tips tab located at the top of the page. These tips include questions to ask and things to watch out for when choosing a puppy.

Bilope, please feel free to contact the Puppyfind.com Customer Support if you have information supporting your claim of the breeder being a puppymill. We do not want puppymills on our website as that is not what the site was intended for. If you have not already submitted a review of your experience with this seller, please don&amp;#039;t hesitate to do so.

Thank you for your time and I wish you and your puppy the best of luck.

Please beware on this site and really all sites like this. We brought a puppy last year, a Shiba Inu, she is beautiful and sweet also comes with health issues! Sites like this is heaven for puppy mills. I brought it from a seller who promised me that her dog had a litter and wants them in a good home. I paid good money for my lil pup pup and even more on medical bills in which the bet had told us her issues stem from heritage breeding. Ex: our puppies parents where most likey her brother and sister from a previous litter. Sure enough I went back and checked the listing and it all adds up to a litter being born within the time frame of a birth, recovery time, and another birth.

If you really loves animals go save one from a shelter. Watch a documentary I caught on HBO called Madonna of the Mills!
A real eye opener! These poor babies are tortured to breed n breed treated horribly and have their puppies ripped away once they give birth to sell while still too young to be taken away from there mother:(

Your lil pup was 3 months old when we got her, health issues and also she would hide in a corner for weeks after you went to touch her and she would move back... Seems she had already suffered abuse within her few short month with the breeders :(

Just because puppy mills use puppyfind.com doesn't mean they are deserving of the blame. Puppy mills can advertise in the paper too, it doesn't mean the paper is at fault. Most likely, you did not do your due diligence when purchasing the puppy. Did you ask to see the parents? Did you ask to see where the breeder's operation? Was the breeder licensed? Did they have references? If you did not inquire about these things then I would say the blame lies mostly with you.

I would advise someone who is looking for a puppy to research, research, research. Research different breeds and different ACCREDITED breeders. I bought a puppy 3 months ago from a real breeder and couldn't be happier. He is free of any birth defects and is 100% happy and healthy.